Women's BB: Whits Look to Break Free from NWC Logjam

 

WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- The Whitman College women can break free from a middle-of-the-pack logjam this weekend when they welcome Linfield and Pacific to Sherwood Center for a pair of Northwest Conference basketball games on George Ball Court.

Whitman, Linfield and Pacific all start the weekend with 2-2 NWC records, tied for fourth place and just a game out of second place in the loss column.

Whitman, 6-7 on the season, hosts 8-5 Linfield at 6 p.m. Friday while 9-3 Pacific plays Whitworth that night in Spokane. Pacific then comes to Walla Walla on Saturday for a 6 p.m. game against the Missionaries.

After capturing a pair of road games last weekend in Tacoma, Whitman takes a three-game winning streak into Friday's tilt against Linfield.

Senior point guard Jenele Peterson, who shot past the 1,000-point plateau in career scoring last Friday, continues to lead Whitman in scoring this season at 12.2 points per game.

Peterson handed out a career-night nine assists on Saturday, and she tops the NWC in both assists (4.1 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1). She also contributes 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.

After Peterson, a balanced Whitman attack has seven players averaging between 8.2 and 4.9 points.

Junior guard Kelly Peterson, who leads the NWC in free throw shooting (87.1 percent, 27-31), averages 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds.

Junior forward Mary Madden (7.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg) is shooting a higher percentage from the free throw stripe, but she fell one made free throw short of qualifying for this week's NWC leaders. Madden has knocked down 25 of 27 (92.6 percent) of her charity tosses. As a team, Whitman is shooting 76 percent (158-208) from the line, which leads the conference.

Sarah Anderegg, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, averages 7.8 points and 2.3 rebounds. Sophomore guard Tiffani Traver adds 6.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

Traver is 11 of 13 (84.6 percent) from the free throw, and she ranks second in the NWC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9).

Meghan White, a 6-foot sophomore, is No. 5 in the NWC in rebounding at 7.8 boards a night. She has blocked 10 shots and is scoring 5.8 points per game.

Kelly Peterson clears space after tracking down loose ball.

Senior sharpshooter Jenn Keyes (5.5 ppg) has drained 21 three-point shots to lead Whitman in that category. She is fifth in the conference in total 3-pointers.

Anna Forge (3.1 ppg,
3.1 rpg), a 5-foot-10 senior wing, is No. 3 in the NWC in blocked shots with 15.

As a team, the Missionaries are committing just 14 turnovers per game, the fewest number in the NWC, and they are second in blocked shots with a total of 43 rejections.

The Whitman defense has allowed just 44 three-point baskets, the fewest in the conference, and the opposition is shooting just 29.3 percent from long distance against the Missionaries, a mark that also leads the NWC.

Linfield Wildcats

Linfield, which is riding an eight-game losing streak against Whitman, notched its last victory over the Missionaries by a 52-48 margin in February of 2007 in Sherwood Center.

The Wildcats have won three of their last four games this season, counting an NWC split last weekend. They lost by 11 points at second-place Lewis & Clark and rolled over last-place Willamette by 17.

Gretchen Owens, 5-foot-8 senior, leads Linfield and the NWC in scoring at 20.8 points per game. She also tops the Wildcats in rebounding (7.0 rpg), assists (3.0 apg) and steals (1.8 spg), and she's shooting 86.3 percent (63-73) from the free throw line.

Kaely Maltman, a 5-foot-11 sophomore, is making 51.6 of her field goal attempts while scoring 14.2 points per game to go with 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Other key players for the Wildcats are 5-foot-11 first-year guard Kaitlyn Henson (8.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and 5-foot-7 senior guard Brynna Fuller (5.0 ppg).

Tyra Barawis, a 6-foot first-year center, averages 7.3 points and 6.8 rebounds but has played in just six of Linfield's 13 games. She did not play in last weekend's two NWC contests.

As a team, Linfield is shooting 41.5 percent from the floor, the third-best mark in the NWC, while holding the opposition to a 37.3 percent shooting mark, which is second only to the George Fox defense. The Wildcats are last in rebounding, steals and blocked shots.

Pacific Boxers

The Boxers, who have split their last four games, posted a 20-point win at Willamette last Friday but then lost by 10 at home to George Fox.

Whitman swept a pair of games from Pacific last season. The two teams split the season series in each of the two previous years.

Erica Schultz, a 5-foot-10 senior, averages 14.6 points and 5.5 rebounds for the Boxers. She leads the NWC in steals at 3.2 per game, averages 2.3 assists and 1.4 blocks, and is 82.1 percent accurate from the free throw line.

Paige Jensen, a 5-foot-11 junior, scores 12.2 points per game and is No. 3 in the conference in rebounding at 8.7 per night. She leads the team in assists, handing out 2.5 per game.

Other key players for the Boxers are 5-foot-11 junior Heather Hitch (9.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg), 5-foot-10 senior Brittany Anderson (5.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg), 5-foot-8 sophomore Annette Highley (4.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and 5-foot-8 junior Erica Colter (4.4 ppg).

Pacific, which blew out two of its non-conference opponents by a combined margin of 93 points, is No. 2 in the NWC in field goal percentage and steals. The Boxers are third in blocked shots and have committed the third fewest turnovers.

Defensively, the Boxers trail only George Fox in points allowed (52.1 per game) and forced turnovers (22.8 per game).

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CONTACT: Dave Holden
Sports Information Director
Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash.
509 527-5902; holden@whitman.edu